Thursday, April 29, 2010

Project 365 (121/365): Magician Zero

.:121/365: Magician Zero:.

Let’s take a break from all the American performers for now and head on to Japan, where an affectionate parody of the famous Japanese magician Cyril Takayama, exists.

Played by actor Takuya Kimura, magician Zero seems to be a bumbling but well-meaning magician who not only looks suspiciously like Cyril, but even has the same mannerisms as Cyril does, which results in a lot of hilarity from time to time. There seems to be a running storyline where Zero is following a single mom in hopes of winning her over by doing his unique brand of magic, which, contrary to most magic parodies, isn’t actually overplayed (Like the Blaine parodies.) or repeatedly screwed up (Like Tommy Cooper’s style.). Zero’s magic is actually effective and well-done, and this affectionate parody was something Cyril liked so much, they eventually had an inevitable showdown on television.

What I like about Zero is that he is really good at doing an impression of Cyril. Whenever he looks at the screen and says “surprise,” I sometimes forget I’m watching a parody and not the real thing. The fact that he does legitimately good magic while he’s at it doesn’t hurt at all, either.

Look for this guy’s videos all over the net. And if you’re so inclined, look for his crossover with Cyril himself, as that was an epic meeting, to say the least.